Supporting and adjusting mechanism for suspended gymnastic apparatus



2,197,600 SUPPORTING AND ADJUSTING MECHANISM FOR SUSPENDED GYMNASTIG APPARATUS M. WIMER Apr-116,194),

Filed June 26, 1937 3 w m m z M 7 7 40 Z3 M 3 0% I m A 5 M m m E 4 Y I \\I J 0 p J 7 J 4 D 7 M a. U U 7 m w M 3 w 455% M Patented Apr. 16, 1940 UNITED "STATES PATENT OFFICE ,ISU P ORTI G AND ADJUSTING MECHANISM FOR SUSPENDED GYMNASTIC APPARATUS Michael Wimer, St. Louis, Mo.

Suspended gymnastic apparatus, such as swinging rings or trapeze, are Supported byflexible connections. It is desirable and necessary to raise or lower the apparatus to suit the con-. ditions of the case or to raise the apparatus out of the way when not in use.

the provision of mechanism which can be quickly and easily operated. to raise or lower the suspended apparatus and which is automatically locked in adjusted position. Other objects of the inventionareto provide mechanism for supporting suitable suspended apparatus, said mechanism being adjustable by a manually operable cord to raise or lower said apparatus and to lock saidmechanism in adjusted position, Another object of the inventionn is to provide means adapted to be fiXed to an overhead support and including a revoluble member over which operates one or more cables ,or straps which support the suspended apparatus, said revoluble member being operable in either direce tion to Wind and unwind saidflexible connections and accordingly to raiseor lower said apparatus and to provide means for automatically locking said revoluble member in adjusted position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mechanism er the classdescribed which is operable by a single cord either to release said mechanism and permit the rotation of the revoluble member in a direction to lower the apparatus orto actuate said revoluble member in an opposite directionto raise said apparatus and to providelocking means for said mechanism operable by said cord in conjunction with the operation of said mechanism.

Another object of the invention is'to provide means engaging each suspension strapor cable below the revolubl'e' member and guiding said strap or cable and limiting the upward movement thereof. 7 With these andother objects in view, my invention consists in certain novel featuresoi construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a side elevationof my mechanism. Figure 2 is an end elevation of same. Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical cross section taken on line 3--3. of Figure-'2; a 4

Among themain objects of the invention is 1937, Serial No. 150,448

"Figure 4 is a fragmental view of Figure 3and showing parts of. the

position. i

. Figure 5 is a horizontal cross section-taken on line 5-5 of Figure 3. i

c Figure 6 is a fragmental detail view of rnber showing the mechanism in actuated the disks of the revoluble me ratchet teeth combined therewith. 1

Figure "(is a vertical cross section taken on line 1-1 of Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a horizontal crosson line.88 of Figure 1. Figure 9 is a horizontal cross section taken on line 99 of Figure 1.

. Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings, in indicates a pair of supports or brackets which are held in position in any suitable manner, in the present instance being secured tola section of'constructionpipe l I. These bracket's'are arranged in spaced-apart relation and each is provided with a 'horizontallydisposed aperture. forreceiving a horizontally disposed rod or shaft I2 which extends between said bracket below said pipe ll.

Each end of said rod extends fromsaid bracket and receives the upper end of a Verticallydisposed baror platel l. Each of these plates is preferably rectangular inicross section, as shown, and. extends a suitable distance below shaft. It. A .nut 15 or other suitable device is arranged on each end of shaft l0; to prevent displacement of plates I4. V

Intermediate the ends of each, plate or bar His a horizontal aperture for receiving one end of a horizontally disposed shaft IS. A nut ll engages each screw-threaded projecting. end of, saidshaft and holds the latter in placebetween said plates. A cotter pin Ila or other suitable means can be used to lockeachnut'in place. The shaft I6 is held stationary and revolubly arranged on said shaft is a drum or roller l8;

section taken I Theends of this drum terminate short ofthe bars M to accommodate spools' !9 which are fixed to said drum. I p

As shown, each spool consists of a cylinder or core 20 and a pair of end disks. The inner disks 2! are fastened to the respective ends of drum apertures formed. in plates 35.

shaft l6 and forms a bearing for this end of the revoluble member or drum. Disk 26 is formed in the present case of press wood and therefore has fixed thereto a metal plate 2612 with which is formed integral a hub 261) which operates on shaft l6 and forms a bearing for this end of the drum. The inner disks 2| are also formed of press wood and drum I8 is formed of wood. Drum l8 and cores 2 8 are each. formed with a comparatively large axial bore or opening so as to clear said shaft l6, thereby reducing the weight of the revoluble member and reduce ing friction between the latter and the stationary shaft. However, if desired, theentire revoluble member could be cast in one piece.

Wound on each spool I9 is a strap or cable 28 the inner end of each strap being fixed to the corresponding core 20, as indicated at 2811. These straps extend downwardly and each passes over -a roller 29 and is held in engagement therewith These rollers are disposed a by a roller 3!). suitable distance below the drum l8and in proper alignment therewith. Each roller 29 is formed with'radial flanges 290. which serve to guide each strap and maintain it in proper alignment with the corresponding spool l9. Each roller 38 fits between the flanges 29a. of the corresponding roller 24 and engages the opposite side of the strap. Rollers 29 are loosely arranged on a stationary shaft 3|, being held in place therein by reduced in diameter and pass through apertures formedin the lower ends of plates l4 andthrough I Each of these plates 35 fits against the lower end of plates l4 and is held in position thereon by a nut and bolt device 36. The purposeof these plates 35 is to reinforce the ends of bars I4 and provide additional support for said shafts 3,! and 33. The ends of these shafts receive nuts 31' which hold said shaft in place. Each strap 28 has its lower end looped to receive the upper end of a swivelconn'ection 38, the lower end of which is engaged by a strap 39. The ends of each strap 39 are secured together by a buckle M, or in any other suitable manner so as to support a swinging ring 42. When the straps .are to be used to support a trapeze. the bar is secured directly to the looped ends of said straps 28. The lower member of each swivel connection 38 is supported on the upper member by means of a ball bearing 38a so that said lower member is free to swing about a vertical axis.

The roller or drum H3 is adapted to be actuated to windor unwind straps 28 on the respective spools 19, thereby raising or lowering the rings as required. The drum I8 is operated in one direction to wind up the straps by means of a cord or cable 43. One end of this cord is secured to the drum, as indicatedat, 44. The cable then passes over the lower half ofthe drum, as shown in Figure 1, and winds on said drum in a clockwise direction, and then passes upwardly g and has its trunnions mounted in the upper ends of side Walls 49 of a member 50. A housing 5| is fixed to one side of one of the plates l4 and member 50: is mounted in said housing for movement in a vertical plane. The lower end of member 50'is formed with a horizontal extension or shelf 50a bearing on which is the lower end of I a coiled spring 52, the upper end of which bears against a horizontal fixed extension 5Ia formed in said housing. Thus member 50' is urged downwardly to its home or depressed position by the force of said spring as well as by gravity.

Fixed to member 50 and projecting horizontally therefrom through a slot 53 vertically disposed in the corresponding plate I4 is a pin 54.

Disk 24 has formed on its outer face a ratchet wheel 55, the teeth of which are presented clock-,

wise or in the same direction" in which, the drum l8- operates to unwind or lower the straps. The pin 54, when member 50 occupies normal or depressed position, engages one of said ratchet teeth and holds the spools and they drum stationary and locked against unwinding movement as shown in Figure When the cable 43 is pulled just enough to move the member 50 upwardly in housing 5|, pin 54 is unseated or raised out of engagement with the ratchet teeth, as indicated in dQt-and-dash lines in Figure 6.

If the cable or line 43 is now slowly paid out without permitting slack in said line, the spools l9 and drum It? will rotate in a direction to unwind and lower said straps while the line 43- will be wound on said drum. The combined weight of the rings and their connections and the straps is sufiicient to overcome the tension of the coil spring and operate the drum in the strap unwinding direction, as indicated by solid arrow in Figure 7, and at the same time maintain the line 43 taut so as to hold member 50 in raised position.

If, however, line 43 is quickly paid out or released so as to produce a slack in said line between the drum and pulley 43 the spring will reassert itself and force the member 50. downwardly, thereby setting pin 54 in engagement with one of the ratchet teeth and thus locking said drum against further unwinding movement.

To raise the rings and wind the straps on the spools 19 the line 43 is pulled downwardly first to unseat the pin 54 and then to unwind the line from drum l8. This causes said drum and spools to rotate anti-clockwise, thereby winding the straps on said spools and raising said rings. When the rings have been raised to the desired height the line 43 is suddenly released so as to allow the coiled spring to move member 5|] downwardly and seat the pin 54 in locking position. Thus line or cable 43 is operated both to release the spools and drum so that the straps and rings can be lowered and to raise said rings and also to operate the locking means.

Pulley 48 is mounted in a housing 48a which is fixed to the top of casing 5 i. As shown in Figure 8, this housing can be adjusted to either one of two positions so that the cord d3 can extend either at right angle to the device, as shown in full lines in Figures 1 and 8, or longitudinally thereof, as shown in dot-and-dash lines in Figure 8.

()nly one line or cord 43 is needed to operate both the drum l8 and the locking means therefor, thereby eliminating confusion and simplify ing the operation. The brackets or hangers it can be fixed to any suitable overhead construction. Revoluble drum i8 is mounted for rotation on shaft it which is stationarily fixed in a support pivotally mounted from hangers ill. This support or bar consists of the horizontal shaft 52 which forms the top of the frame, stationary shafts 3i and 33 which form the lower horizontal member of the frame, and plates or bars M which form the vertical side members of said frame. These parts are firmly secured together and the whole frame or support is suspended from brackets or hangers it by means of shaft 52. The cord 43 is Wound on revoluble member E8 in a direction opposite to that of straps 28 so that said cord is wound when the straps are unwound and vice versa. The pin 5 and ratchet wheel 55 provide safe and reliable locking means for holding the drum, and the swinging apparatus supported by the straps, in any adjusted position. The coiled spring 52 provides positive means for bringing the pin 5% into locking position as soon as the cord 53 is released.

While the device as shown and described herein isapplied to a swinging gymnastic apparatus, it is obvious that my invention can be applied to other uses without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a pair of spaced-apart side members adapted to be suspended, a horizontally disposed drum revolubly mounted in said side members, a flexible connection fixed at one end on said drum and wound thereon, the free end of said connection being weighted so as to operate by gravity said drum in one direction to unwind said connection, a cord wound on said revoluble drum in a direction opposite to said flexible connection, and manually operable in one direction to wind said flexible connection on said drum and being free to operate in the opposite direction and to be wound on said drum when said flexible connection is unwound, means for locking said drum against rotation, said means including a ratchet wheel fixed on one end of said drum, a vertically movable member mounted on one of said side members, and spring-pressed into engagement with said wheel, and a pulley mounted on the upper end of said vertically movable member and engaged by said cord, said vertically movable member being movable out of its locking engagement with said ratchet wheel, when said cord is manually operated, and a pair of rollers mounted in said side members below said drum for re ceiving therebetween the weighted free end of said flexible connection and limiting the upward movement thereof.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a pair of vertically disposed spaced-apartplates pivotally mounted at their upper ends, a horizontal member revolubly supported by said plates, a flexible connection wound on said revoluble member and extending downwardly, a ratchet wheel fixed to one end of said revoluble member, a member slidably mounted on one of said plates for movement in a vertical plane, a horizontally disposed pin fixed to said slidable member and extending laterally for engagement with said ratchet wheel to lock said revoluble member against unwinding rotation, a cord wound on said revoluble member, a pair of fixedpulleys disposed in spaced-apart relation above said revoluble member for receiving said cord, and a pulley disposed between and below said pair of pulleys and mounted in said slidable member whereby when said cord is manually operated said slidable member is raised, thereby disengaging said locking pin from the ratchet wheel and releasing said revoluble member.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a pair of vertically disposed spaced-apart plates pivotally mounted at their upper ends, a drum extending between and revolubly supportedby said plates, a flexible connection wound on said drum and extending downwardly, a ratchet wheel fixed to one end of said revoluble drum, a casing fixed to one of said plates adjacent to said ratchet Wheel, a vertically slidable member mounted in said casing, a horizcntally disposed pin fixed to said slidable member and engageable with said ratchet wheel to lock said drum against rotation to unwind said connection, a cord wound on said revoluble drum in a direction opposite to said flexible connection,

a pair of pulleys fixed above said revoluble drum in spaced-apart relation with each other, and a pulley fixed to said slidable member intermediate the first-mentioned pulleys, said cord passing over said pulleys whereby said slidable member is moved upwardly to disengage said pin from said ratchet wheel when said cord is manually operated.

l. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a pair of fixed hangers, a hori zontally disposed bar mounted in said hangers, a

pair of'side members having their upper ends mounted on said bar, a horizontally disposed drum revolubly mounted in said side members, a flexible connection wound on each end of said drum and having its free end extending below said drum and carrying a suitable gymnastic appliance, whereby said drum is operated by gravity in a direction to unwind said flexible connection, a cord wound on said revoluble drum in opposite direction to said flexible connections for operating said drum to wind said. connection, locking means fixed to one of said side members and including a vertically movable member, and a horizontally disposed pin extending from said vertically movable member into engagement with said revoluble drum for locking it against unwinding movement, said locking means being operable by said cord to release said drum, and a pair of rollers stationarily mounted below each end of said drum and engaging the loose end of each flexible connection for guiding the latter and limiting the upward movement thereof.

MICHAEL wmnn. 

